American Horror Story: 13 — Release Date, Returning Cast and What's Actually Confirmed

Correction and update (September 26, 2026): An earlier version placed Mena Suvari’s Elizabeth Short in Hotel. She appeared in Murder House. The release information now distinguishes the episodes already out from the announced schedule, and Disney’s later character identifications are reflected below.

American Horror Story: 13 premiered Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET on FX and Hulu in the US, and Friday, September 25 on Disney+ in the UK. The first three episodes have been released. The announced schedule for 13 half-hour episodes calls for three episodes in each of the first two weeks, then two weekly until the US finale on October 29 (October 30 in the UK). Those later dates are the published schedule, not a claim that the episodes have already aired. Availability elsewhere can differ by market.

The season brings back the franchise’s biggest names — Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Jessica Lange, Angela Bassett, Emma Roberts, Kathy Bates, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe, Leslie Grossman and more — and several are returning as specific, previously established characters. FX’s September 10 trailer identifies four of Lange’s past roles. On September 22, Lange said she also plays a fifth mystery character whose identity she would not reveal. The four known roles are not her complete count.

Watch the Official Trailer

Confirmed: Which Characters Are Actually Returning

The September 10 full trailer goes considerably further than the August teaser and Disney’s original seven-character press list. Several actors are confirmed playing multiple past characters, not one each:

• Jessica Lange as four identified returning characters, plus a fifth mystery role: Constance Langdon (Murder House), Sister Jude (Asylum), Fiona Goode (Coven) and Elsa Mars (Freak Show) are the four familiar characters shown in the trailer. Lange disclosed the additional role during a September 22 interview with Good Morning America, but did not identify it. Whether that fifth character is new or returning is still unknown.
• Evan Peters as three separate characters: Rubber Man / Tate Langdon (Murder House), Kai Anderson (Cult), and — newly confirmed by this trailer — James Patrick March (Hotel). It’s March who delivers the trailer’s key line, “It’s witch-hunting season,” a piece of actual trailer dialogue rather than marketing copy layered over the footage.
• Sarah Paulson as Cordelia Goode (Coven)
• Emma Roberts as Madison Montgomery (Coven)
• Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau (Coven)
• John Carroll Lynch as Twisty the Clown (Freak Show)
• Billie Lourd as Winter Anderson (Cult) — newly confirmed by this trailer, resolving what was previously an educated guess

Beyond that, TVLine’s coverage — sourced to FX’s own first-look images — also puts Mat Fraser back as Paul the Illustrated Seal, Gabourey Sidibe back as Queenie and Leslie Grossman back as Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt, all Coven/Freak Show roles matching actors already confirmed in the season 13 cast.

Newly Confirmed by the Full Trailer

• John Waters as Mr. Phibes, a new character — a medical specialist working alongside Constance Langdon in the Murder House setting. This is a new role for the season, not a returning one, and resolves what was previously an unconfirmed-character cast credit.
• Kathy Bates visibly appears in the trailer as Madame Delphine LaLaurie (Coven). This is trailer-visible, not yet a named confirmation from FX or Disney’s own press materials — a meaningfully stronger basis than the earlier “informed guess,” but still one tier below an official character-list confirmation.

Confirmed Cast and Roles Still Unclear

Frances Conroy remains confirmed in the cast without a stated returning character. Disney has identified Joey Pollari as Ben DeSoto, a new hospice worker. Mena Suvari is confirmed in the cast; reports of a possible return as Elizabeth Short remain unconfirmed here. Suvari previously played Short in Murder House, beginning with Season 1’s “Spooky Little Girl” — not in Hotel.

What Still Isn’t Confirmed

• Cody Fern as Michael Langdon. Fan speculation has pointed to Instagram hints, but Fern is not in Disney’s official cast list, and no FX confirmation exists. The September 10 trailer didn’t change this.
• Cara Delevingne’s role, if any — still linked to the season in press coverage without a pinned-down character or confirmed involvement.
• Any additional roles for Jamie Brewer. Disney identifies her return as Addie Langdon from Murder House. That does not establish that she also plays Nan or another character.
• The complete season story. Disney has described Ben DeSoto, a hospice worker trained by Constance Langdon to care for a wealthy patient, as the new protagonist. That official setup does not establish how all the returning characters’ stories resolve.

The Premise, As Far As It’s Been Described

Disney describes a present-day crisis that brings in characters from earlier installments, with Ben DeSoto as the new protagonist. Its official preview says newcomers can follow Ben’s story without watching the earlier seasons, while Murder House, Coven, Hotel and Cult provide character context. The promotional setup is not evidence for any unexamined episode scene.

The Bottom Line

The first three episodes arrived September 24 in the US and September 25 in the UK. Disney’s published schedule runs to a 13th episode on October 29 in the US. The trailer identifies four returning Jessica Lange characters and three Evan Peters characters; Lange has also mentioned a fifth role without naming it. This article records those announcements without claiming knowledge of later episodes.

If you want to catch up on where these returning characters actually come from, see our guide to what’s worth watching before Season 13. For who each confirmed character actually is and why their return matters, see our returning characters explainer.